Search Publications
Equatorial Noise With Quasiperiodic Modulation: Multipoint Observations by the Van Allen Probes Spacecraft
Hospodarsky, G. B.; Kurth, W. S.; Santolík, O. +2 more
Electromagnetic wave measurements performed by the two Van Allen Probes spacecraft are used to analyze equatorial noise emissions with a quasiperiodic modulation of the wave intensity. These waves are confined to the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator, and they occur primarily on the dayside. In situ plasma number density measurements are used to…
Magnetically Controlled Density Structures in the Martian Ionosphere: Are they Stably Recurring?
Venkateswara Rao, N.; Mohanamanasa, P.; Rao, S. V. B. +1 more
MARSIS instrument aboard the Mars Express spacecraft regularly detects the magnetically controlled density structures (MCDSs) in the Martian ionosphere. In this paper, we studied the recurrence characteristics of these MCDSs using long-term (more than a decade) MARSIS observations over a selected region of 35° to 40° longitude and -10° to 10° lati…
Estimating the Kinetic Energy Budget of the Polar Wind Outflow
Wei, Y.; Nilsson, H.; André, M. +7 more
Ionospheric outflow from the polar cap through the polar wind plays an important role in the evolution of the atmosphere and magnetospheric dynamics. Both solar illumination and solar wind energy input are known to be energy sources of the polar wind. However, observational studies of the energy transfer from these two energy sources to the polar …
Study on the Curvature and Gradient of the Magnetic Field in Earth's Cusp Region Based on the Magnetic Curvature Analysis Method
Rong, Zhaojin; Shen, Chao; Xiao, Chao +2 more
This paper uses the multiple-point magnetic measurements from the Cluster mission to investigate the curvature and gradient of the magnetic field as well as their relations with the current density inside the cusp region under different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. From two event studies, it is shown that the curvature radius of…
A Statistical Study of Ionospheric Boundary Wave Formation at Venus
Zhang, Tielong; Futaana, Yoshifumi; Frahm, Rudy A. +3 more
Previous missions to Venus have revealed that encounters with plasma irregularities of atmospheric origin outside the atmosphere are not uncommon. A number of mechanisms have been proposed to discuss their origins as well as their roles in the atmospheric evolution of Venus. One such mechanism involves an ionopause with a wavelike appearance. By u…
Structure and Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Magnetotail Reconnection
Lapenta, Giovanni; Goldstein, Melvyn L.; El-Alaoui, Mostafa +3 more
We have used a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation and embedded particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation to analyze magnetotail reconnection in and near the electron diffusion region (EDR). Results from the magnetohydrodynamic simulation were used to set the initial and boundary conditions for the large-scale implicit PIC simulation. We examined proxie…
Influence of the IMF Cone Angle on Invariant Latitudes of Polar Region Footprints of FACs in the Magnetotail: Cluster Observation
Dandouras, I.; Kistler, L. M.; Rème, H. +7 more
The influence of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) cone angle θ (the angle between the IMF direction and the Sun-Earth line) on the invariant latitudes of the footprints of the field-aligned currents (FACs) in the magnetotail has been investigated. We performed a statistical study of 542 FAC cases observed by the four Cluster spacecraft in t…
Cassini/MIMI Observations on the Dungey Cycle Reconnection and Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability in Saturn's Magnetosphere
Dialynas, Konstantinos
A new composite analysis of ∼13 years of Cassini's Charge Energy Mass Spectrometer measurements, presented by Allen et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA025262), suggests that the asymmetrically distributed suprathermal He++ in Saturn's magnetosphere is due to Dungey cycle relate…
Microchannel Plate Efficiency to Detect Low Velocity Dust Impacts
James, David; Horányi, Mihály; Clark, George +2 more
Recent space experiments suggest that electron and ion energy analyzers using microchannel plates (MCPs) as detectors are also registering direct hits by nanodust particles. To allow the analysis and interpretation of these putative dust events, the detection efficiency of MCPs has to be characterized. We report on a series of experiments to inves…
Modeling, Analysis, and Interpretation of Photoelectron Energy Spectra at Enceladus Observed by Cassini
Schippers, P.; Coates, A. J.; Jones, G. H. +7 more
The Electron Spectrometer (ELS) of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer has observed photoelectrons produced in the plume of Enceladus. These photoelectrons are observed during Enceladus encounters in the energetic particle shadow where the spacecraft is largely shielded from penetrating radiation by the moon. We present a complex electron spectrum at …